She lived in a tiny room behind a neighbor's house. Her hands and feet were full of jiggers, so it was a challenge for her to do anything for herself. It was so dirty inside her tiny house, she would not let anyone inside to help her. Thankfully, a few of the neighbor children fetched water for her; but sadly she had no other help. She was alone.

To our dismay, her neighbor would not help her. It is very common in Uganda for elderly people to be neglected since they are viewed as a burden.

We decided to investigate a little more to find out if she had family or friends that would be willing to look after her. In the meantime, we were able to remove the jiggers from her hands and feet and provide her with some food and clothing.

Removing the jiggers was a painful process and we knew they would be a problem again if her living environment did not change.

After doing some investigating, we discovered that she had no family or friends willing to look after her. We knew God had brought her to our attention for a reason because even though her family had forgotten her, He had not.

We visited Proscovia again in October to deliver a mattress and some food supplies and discovered her jiggers had returned with a vengeance. We also found out the latrine she was using had collapsed and her living conditions had worsened.

After our visit, we discussed several options to help her; leaving her in the current situation was not an option. We agreed that we needed to move her closer to Suubi where we could look after her, but that would require us renting a place for her and setting up a new house. Rent and provisions would be a monthly expense, so we decided we needed to find someone to sponsor her.

Praise Jesus! We hadn't finished the discussion when a sweet friend stepped up to be her sponsor.

Within a week of our discussion, Proscovia was settled into a new house with the needed provisions and her jiggers had been removed once more.

We had the pleasure of visiting Proscovia this past February in her new home and we were amazed at how well she was doing. She had gained weight and her strength had increased. She was walking again and determined to work in the garden at Suubi!

As we sat in her home and visited with her, she sang worship songs and praised the Lord, thanking Him for remembering her. Her life is a sweet testimony of God's unfailing love.

Proscovia's life has been changed and it is wonderful to behold!

We thank the Lord for all He is doing in the community He has placed us in and we praise His wonderful Name for allowing us to be a part of it all!

He had been hit by a motorcycle taxi while he was walking along the road in our village. The impact threw him several feet and broke his leg in two places.

When the accident first happened, he traveled 40km to get to the hospital in Kampala. Sadly, once they learned he did not have enough money for treatment, they removed him from the bed and left him waiting in the hall for several days. Realizing they were not going to help him, Samuel decided that he would prefer to suffer at his home in the village instead of staying at the hospital without food nor a place to sleep.

A little more than three weeks had past when we found out about Samuel's condition. As we visited him at home, he told us about the accident and his attempt to get treatment. He also told us how he had pushed the bone back inside his wound on multiple occasions since any pressure on that leg would cause it to pop out. He told us that he had lost all hope of receiving medical treatment and was waiting for his leg to get "bad enough" before he had someone cut it off with a machete.

His suffering was extreme.

We prayed with him and told him we would help him. The original estimate of treatment was approximately $250 and praise God! we were able to raise that amount fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, when we took Samuel back to the hospital for treatment, they refused to treat him because he had "left on his own" the first time. Once again we had to take him back to the village without being treated. The pain of moving so much at such long distances was intense. His hope faded even more.

The following day, we loaded Samuel into our vehicle again for the long drive to the city. We found a hospital that would treat him, but they weren't able to admit him right away and asked us to come back in three days.

An additional challenge was that the cost of surgery and care at the new hospital was going to be $1,400 instead of $250. They actually specialize in orthopedic issues and that was great news for Samuel, but that amount was quite an increase from the original estimate! We encouraged Samuel and told him we would ask God to provide for him. Our hearts ached for the torment moving him caused, but once again we took him back to the village.

At this point, we had less than three days to raise the money needed for Samuel to be admitted to the hospital and receive the medical care he so desperately needed. We put out a prayer request asking for donations for Samuel's surgery -- trusting God to provide.

Praise the Lord! In His perfect faithfulness, through His people, God provided all that was needed for Samuel's surgery!

Surgery was a success and Samuel was released from the hospital five days after his operation with instructions to return in several weeks for a checkup.

For a month he endured great pain, but within a day of his surgery, Samuel's pain was gone. For the first time in his life, he praised God.

Samuel's hope was restored.

Samuel returned to the village on a Friday. The following Sunday, he arrived at church and stood before the congregation to thank all those that made his surgery possible.

He witnessed the love of Jesus through the generosity of strangers. It truly baffled and touched him in a profound way. As he finished his thanksgiving speech, he told our Pastor that he wanted to confess Jesus as Savior. <<insert Happy Dance!>>

Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!

Samuel's hope has been restored and his life is changed for eternity!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated and prayed for Samuel's surgery and salvation. Your generosity and support truly makes a difference in the lives of those we minister too.

Please continue praying for Samuel's leg to heal perfectly and for him to regain strength, but most importantly pray that he will grow in the knowledge of the Lord and walk with Him all the days of his life.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Jennifer is 16 years old. She was abandoned by her father at a very young and once her mother remarried, she was forced to live with an Aunt in an unhappy situation. She was able to go to school and managed to complete P-6 before she was forced to quit school and take care of her aging grandmother.

I had the privilege of visiting Jennifer and meeting her grandmother, Rosaria, this past March. As we approached the house, we were greeted by Jennifer and then ushered into a small dark room to find Rose (as she was affectionately called) lying on a wood framed bed, her frail body covered by a thin quilt. She had been bedridden for quite some time.

As the light came through a small window, I knelt down beside Rose's bed and took her hand to greet her. Jennifer came in quietly behind us to wipe Rose's forehead with a damp cloth. As I knelt there, I couldn't help but notice Rose's extremely frail body, the thin mattress she lay on, the darkness of the room. Yet, it was obvious that Jennifer was taking good care of her.

Rose began speaking in Luganda to our translator. I wondered about the stories this woman must possess, what things she must have seen throughout the years, what hardship and heartache she must've known in her life, but also what joy.

I waited silently for her to finish and was then told that she had asked if I would pray for her. I was humbled by the request.

I took her hand and prayed for her, knowing that she could not understand my words, but our Heavenly Father did and that was all that mattered. I hope that she felt feel loved and valued in that moment. I don't remember exactly what I prayed, but I do remember feeling privileged to have been given the opportunity to pray for this precious Soul. As she looked up and smiled at me, it occurred to me that I might not see her again.

A few months later, Rose passed away.

When I returned to Suubi in July, I was told that Jennifer had gone to visit her other family members after the death of Rosaria, but no one wanted to take care of her or provide a place for her to live. She had no place to go.

She had spent the past three years lovingly caring for Rose and had made sacrifices most of us can not comprehend. Understandably, she was afraid to return to her grandmother's house to live alone. Her situation broke my heart and I knew immediately that we needed to help her.

Thankfully, we were immediately able to provide a safe, loving, place for Jennifer to stay until she is able to live on her own. We talked to her about her future and her dreams. It had been quite a while since she had dared dream, but she shyly admitted that she wanted to attend Beauty School.

This precious young woman, who has lovingly taken care of her grandmother for several years wants to attend Beauty School. That's her dream and I believe that, together, we can make that happen.

The total cost of the program is $800 which includes her room and board. If you are interested in donating towards Jennifer's dream of Beauty School, you can donate through our link HERE and add the comment "Jennifer". If you have any questions, please email info@thesuubiproject.org.

Each of one of us can make a difference, but together we change lives.

For over a year, we have been dealing with various issues with our vehicle; the last of which was labeled "major engine problems". We knew that we could not afford to continue the unfortunate cycle of repairs that we had been enduring since we purchased it several years ago and were praying for a solution. When informed of the latest issue, Gary and I came to the realization that to spend any more money on repairs would not only be wasteful, but foolish.

Even though we knew we desperately needed a new vehicle, we had no idea how we were going to afford one. We knew the only way we could pull off purchasing a vehicle any time soon would take a Miracle.

With my departure for the summer team trip just 12 days away, I prayed a bold prayer and obeyed the Lord's prompting to "share " this need with our Suubi sponsors and supporters asking for prayer and donations. I even went so far as to pray that the money would be raised before my departure. It was a BIG prayer and I knew it, but I was desperate and believed wholeheartedly that God could manage this request if He chose to do so.

We had never raised this amount of money in such a short time, but with great anticipation, I began checking email frequently. Each time a new donation came in, I was brought to tears because I knew the Lord was providing. I was genuinely encouraged by the generosity I was witnessing and it blessed my heart immensely.

A few days before my departure, we were still several thousand dollars short of our goal. I knew the vehicle would most likely cost more than what we estimated since I had watched prices go up since I last inquired. Still, I hoped that our estimate was close and I continued asking the Lord to provide the amount needed before I left.

The day before our team's scheduled departure, I was busy with last minute preparations and did not check my email. At some point on departure day, as we waited for our flight, I found a moment to check email and was astonished by what I found. Tears immediately came as I read an email from a gentleman who had done a "little research on the cost of vehicles" and made a donation the day before I left. The amount he donated exceeded the amount I had said we needed. I was speechless.

ONLY GOD can make it possible to raise over $11,000 in less than 12 days!

Within a few days of my arrival to Uganda, David, our country Director, and I set out looking for the type of vehicle we felt would be a good fit for Suubi. We found one that we were both pleased with and agreed the Lord had confirmed our choice. After negotiating with the seller and finalizing the purchase, for nearly the exact amount we had raised, we sat in our new vehicle and laughed. We were giddy with excitement and in awe over how the Lord had brought this moment about. Before driving off the lot, we prayed together and thanked God for His provision and for the people who prayed and donated to make this possible. It was truly an amazing experience.

ONLY GOD.

Our Vehicle Miracle = Prayer Answered! I didn't know the TOTAL amount I would need for the vehicle. I simply estimated and then prayed for the "amount needed" to be raised before I left the country. God alone knew the exact amount I would need. When the plea for help went out, a dozen saints donated the portion they felt led to give and then one last gentleman did a little research and sent what he "thought" might cover the balance. His donation was MORE than I had asked for and he made it the day BEFORE I left for Uganda. Despite my inexperience with purchasing vehicles and the hundreds of choices in front of us, the Lord showed us which vehicle to buy. The last donation MET the amount we needed to purchase it. God supplied EXACTLY what was needed through the faithfulness and generosity of His people !

Even now, as I write this, I'm overwhelmed and so incredibly thankful!

NOTICE: Joseph Kiyaga is no longer affiliated with The Suubi Project. His employment with Suubi was terminated in October 2014 and he is NOT associated with our project and does not speak or act on our behalf.

Due to a recent news story where Joseph Kiyaga was accused by an elderly woman, who mentioned that he was a pastor at Suubi Community Church, we feel the need need to publicly make it known that we are no longer working with Joseph, nor supporting anything he is doing in Uganda.

The news report said that the woman claims that Joseph deceived her into signing over her land title when he gave her a fake check. We do not know all the facts and are not making judgment, but believe the situation needs to be investigated and pray the outcome is just.

Please PRAY that the Lord will protect and defend Suubi's reputation in country, that false rumors will fall on deaf ears, and that our work at Suubi will continue bringing hope and restoring lives for His glory.